Village Council hears info on upcoming tree trimming

March 13, 2014

At the March 4 Poland Village Council meeting, David Turner from Ohio Edison-First Energy gave a presentation on this springs utility tree trimming program. At the end of March and early April, crews will be working in Poland Village and Township to trim tree branches away from electric lines.

''Every four years First Energy trims trees,'' Turner said. ''We clear overhanging branches and limbs within the circuit area.''

He said residents who will be affected will get a card hung on their door informing them of when the crew will be working on their property. The cards will be hung well in advance of the work to be done.

''Anyone not happy with what is going on can call and I will work out a resolution,'' Turner said.

Councilman Bill Dunnavant told Turner that people in the village are concerned about the street trees and want to maintain the beauty of Poland Village. Turner said the First Energy works with arborists and have received awards for their trimming. He said while the program seeks to make the power lines safe from interruption, the crews do not sculpt the trees.

When asked about a resident not wanting the work done, Turner replied, ''A citizen can ask us to leave their property and we will do so, but we have the right to trim the trees and we will be back.''

He said any questions or concerns can be answered by calling the number on the door hanging. Only those affected will receive the card.

Turner did say that is a property owner asks the crew to take down a tree, they will do so.

While at the meeting, Turner was introduced to Poland Village's new tree commissioner James Brammer.

On a different matter, Council approved a resolution to implement fees for use of village facilities. The resolution calls for a $100 per day fee for non-residents and $50 a day for residents. Both will require a $50 security deposit. Dunnavant said non-profit groups not engaged in commercial activity could have the fee waved.

He added that events with crowds of over 50 people would also be required to provide an hourly fee to hire security.

In other business:

* Jenny Phillips addressed council on the run-down state of a residence at 24 Poland Manor. She said the exterior walls and maintenance has been getting worse for the past 15 years. A discussion was held as to how much time the owner should be given to clean up the mess. Village legal council Anthony D'Apolito suggested as much as 120-150 days because the structure is old and may involve lead paint. Phillips also asked about the residence at 12 Poland Manor, were a debris pile was recently removed. D'Apolito said the owner has 30 days to comply with cleaning up the nuisance problems before fines could be initiated.

* Mayor Tim Sicafuse reported the gas and electric aggregation program has saved village residents nearly $400,000 since initiated in 2010.

* Raspanti reported the Yellow Creek Theater pavilion case was set for pre-trial on March 7. The issue involved the construction of an outdoor pavilion without getting village zoning approval.

* Councilwoman Linda Srnec reported the village's health insurance premiums are set to rise by about $8,000 for the year and in December, there will be something new in place that she said, ''We have no idea what it will be.''

* Police Chief Russ Beatty requested an extra cruiser and officer for one extra shift in the village.

* A Johnston Place resident complained about having five different refuse trucks on his street for trash pickup. He asked if Council could get an agreement with one company so there won't be so many trucks on streets not designed for commercial traffic.